Meet Your Town Employees

Say "Police Officer" and most of us immediately form a picture in our minds. We all know him, the big burly guy with the tough as nails personality.

Well, meet one of your local officers who works day in and day out, dedicated to keeping you and your streets safe. Just like you would expect. Only... she is not exactly what you would expect. And she’s hardly big or burly.

Yes, she may be pretty...but just maybe pretty tough too.

Meet Officer Tessa Potts, Zionsville Police Department.

Name: Tessa Potts
Age: 30
Job Title: Deputy Marshal 1
Years on the job: With ZPD for 2 years as a reserve and almost 2 years full-time

Though Tessa may not fit your typical stereotype of a police officer, she is totally professional, dedicated and passionate about her work. Tessa says she can’t imagine doing anything else. "I have wanted to be a police officer as long as I can remember," she says, "I love it! I love being around people and helping others." Though she acknowledges that everyone else may not see her "help" in quite that way, "No one wants a speeding ticket, but no one wants someone speeding by their child on the sidewalk either."

Belying the typical "tough as nails" personality you would expect, Tessa reveals that her biggest challenge as a police offer is "Not giving people breaks all the time," for she says, "I am a softie."

It is Tessa’s responsibility to enforce the laws of the State of Indiana and the Town of Zionsville. She says her goal everyday is to protect the people of Zionsville from the individuals who choose to disobey the standards set forth by state and local statutes. But her duties don’t stop there. A typical shift will find Tessa helping people in a myriad of ways - pushing cars out of the road, giving directions, scraping windows, answering questions and patrolling our neighborhoods.

"I really like that it is different everyday," she says.

And being a part of the Zionsville community is important too. Tessa says she loves that aspect of the job. And not just her day to day job, but the other things she gets to do - like handing out glow bracelets to the children at the annual Boone Village Halloween party or stopping at a neighborhood Kool-Aid stand or even trying to find the home of a stray dog. It’s all a part of being a part of the community and serving the people in it.

"It is important to me," says Tessa, "That the people of Zionsville understand that their Police Department is here to serve them. We don’t have, or believe in, an 'Us against Them' mentality."

Asked why she chose Zionsville over other communities when she began her law enforcement career, Tessa doesn’t hesitate. "As a reserve here I fell in love with the community, the town. I love the department and the people on it. It was an easy choice. I knew I wanted my career with Zionsville."

Of course, she admits, it didn’t hurt that she was, and still is, madly in love with one of our own ZFD firefighters. "I am so proud of him and so lucky to have him as my best friend and my husband," she says of Zionsville Fire Fighter/EMT and her husband of almost six years, Jason Potts.

When Tessa is not out patrolling our streets and helping our citizens, she enjoys relaxing with Jason and their two dogs - which are named after Chicago Cubs personalities. Tessa also has a large extended family and she says spending time with them is her favorite pastime. That and baseball. Tessa loves baseball and is a devoted Cubs fan. In fact, she is a huge sports fan in general. "I am just devastated that the Packers traded Brett Favre," she confesses.

A few other facts you might want to know about Tessa, though she’s a graduate of Ball State University, she comes to Indiana all the way from Milton, Wisconsin! Before Tessa began her career as a Zionsville Police Officer she spent four years working in Juvenile Treatment.

And one last thing - Tessa says her "dream car" is an orange VW Beetle convertible. So, she says, "If any of you reading this owns the orange Beetle convertible in town - don’t worry, I am probably just following you because of the car!"

For your dedication and your faithful public service, thanks Officer Potts!! We hope you get your own orange Beetle convertible very soon!

Maybe equipped with lights and a siren?